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Ted Stevens indicted *CONVIVTED* - **LOSES SEAT**
DailyBuzz
Member Posts: 2,306
Apparently, after nearly a year of investigating the evidence seized from his home, his days are finally numbered. To be honest, I knew absolutely nothing about this man until the infamous 'bridge to nowhere' fiasco. Although, I have to admit, I never liked him from the start.
www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/29/stevens.indictment/index.html
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Ted Stevens declared his innocence Tuesday after his indictment on charges that he concealed hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gifts and services from a company in his home state.
Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, says he is innocent of the charges a grand jury handed up on Tuesday.
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"My public service began when I served in World War II. It saddens me to learn that these charges have been brought against me. ... I am innocent of these charges and intend to prove that," Stevens said in a statement released by his office.
In the indictment, Stevens is charged with lying about receiving gifts worth more than $250,000 from Veco, an Alaska-based energy company on whose behalf he intervened in Washington.
The indictment, returned Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Washington, says the veteran lawmaker "schemed to conceal" the fact that Veco paid for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of work on his home.
The indictment follows a wide-ranging investigation into ties between the company and lawmakers in Alaska.
The indictment does not accuse Stevens of accepting bribes, Matt Friedrich, the acting assistant attorney general, emphasized in a news conference announcing the charges.
"Bribery is not charged in this case," he said, adding that such a charge "requires proof of a specific quid pro quo. This indictment does not allege that." 
Watch Friedrich announce and explain the indictment »
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But it does accuse Stevens and his staff of receiving requests from Veco for help in Washington and acting on some of them.
In the 28-page indictment, Stevens was charged with seven counts of making false statements on his Senate financial disclosure forms.
Stevens denied those charges, saying in the statement "I have never knowingly submitted a false disclosure form required by law as a U.S. senator."
Stevens was caught by surprise Tuesday by his indictment, Sen. Daniel Inouye told CNN.
"Apparently, the media knew about it before he did," Inouye said, adding he had just spoken to Stevens, a Republican from Alaska.
Stevens was meeting with Republican colleagues when the indictment was returned, and he was pulled out of the meeting, his colleague said.
"As far as he's concerned, he's not guilty. And I believe him," said Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat who is one of Stevens' closest friends in the Senate.
The indictment says the home improvements provided by Veco and its chief executive officer, Bill Allen, a "personal friend of Stevens," included a new first floor, a new garage, a new first- and second-story wraparound deck, new plumbing and new wiring.
Allen gave Stevens a new 1999 Land Rover worth $44,000 in exchange for $5,000 and Stevens' 1964 Ford Mustang, which was worth less than $20,000 at the time, the indictment charged.
In exchange, Stevens "could and did use his official position and his office on behalf of Veco," one of the state's largest employers, the indictment charges.
Allen pleaded guilty in May 2007, paying out more than $400,000 "in corrupt payments" to Alaska officials, the Department of Justice said in announcing the Stevens indictment.
Allen is cooperating with the Department of Justice as part of his plea agreement, Friedrich said. Veco was acquired by another company, CH2M Hill, in September 2007.
The indictment does not restrict Stevens' ability to vote in the Senate, speak on the Senate floor or participate in committee work. Stevens, however, did say he would relinquish his co-chairmanships and ranking member positions, in accordance with Senate Republican rules.
Reacting to the indictment, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said it was up to Senate Republicans to decide if any punishment was warranted.
"I, of course, have served with Sen. Stevens my entire congressional career," Reid said. "It's a sad day for him, us. But I believe in the American system of justice that he is presumed innocent.
"As far as what's going to happen in the Republican caucus, that's up to them. ... How they handle Stevens is certainly up to them. It is not our responsibility. I'll cooperate in any way that I can."
Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican, recalled that he and Stevens were veterans of World War II and that "he was a hero and a fighter, and he's been a fighter for this country since then -- a fighter for his state ever since and a strong leader in the Senate.
"So all I can say is I hope this can turn out fairly consistent with the law and good decision," Warner said.
Another Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, said, "I have known Ted Stevens for 28 years, and I have always found him to be impeccably honest.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat who chairs the Senate ethics subcommittee, said she would release a statement later Tuesday.
FBI and Internal Revenue Service agents searched Stevens' Alaska home in July 2007 in connection with the investigation, which has snared two oil company executives and a state lobbyist, among others.
At the time, he urged constituents "not to form conclusions based upon incomplete and sometimes incorrect reports in the media."
The 84-year-old senator is a former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is renowned for his prowess in steering federal funds to his vast, sparsely populated state.
Stevens is the oldest Republican senator and second in age only to Sen. Robert Byrd, the 90-year-old Democrat from West Virginia.
He has represented Alaska in Washington since 1968 and is up for re-election in November. He is the longest-serving Republican senator in history.
Comments
Seems fishy considering Senators make $267k/year, also some of the statements appear to be grabbing at strings. Are you freaking kidding me that someone wouldn't want to exchange a '99 LandRover for a '64 Mustang. Sometimes that model year mustang can sell for $89k.
I think he has been portrayed in the media negatively in the last 8 years. He has constantly been objective of things that negatively effect his state. Which is probably why he gets re-elected, he actually serves his state and thier needs. He has objected to diverting $50 million in fund for a bridge that would connect the states keys that are in many ways bigger then islands. Heck we don't really object to having a bridge across the Florida Keys. He has also objected to using federally protected land for Oil Drilling in Alaska.
Wow, he's claiming to be innocent eh?
That's interesting.
Your argument is like a two legged dog with an eating disorder...weak and unbalanced.
Despite the notions of Ed Meese, you are innocent until proven guilty.
Or you cut a deal with the prosecutor.
Which Ted might consider doing, and soon.
CH, Jedi, Commando, Smuggler, BH, Scout, Doctor, Chef, BE...yeah, lots of SWG time invested.
Once a denizen of Ahazi
Sweet. Now if we can indict every other senator and replace them with elite Cobra soldiers, our plans can come to fruitition!!!!!!
People who have to create conspiracy and hate threads to further a cause lacks in intellectual comprehension of diversity.
Sith operatives imo.
Your argument is like a two legged dog with an eating disorder...weak and unbalanced.
screw this freak.
Trade in material assumptions for spiritual facts and make permanent progress.
i like your avatar quote. Who said it?
People who have to create conspiracy and hate threads to further a cause lacks in intellectual comprehension of diversity.
i like your avatar quote. Who said it?
http://www.newamerica.net/publications/articles/2003/every_time_the_wind_blows_operation_decapitation
Trade in material assumptions for spiritual facts and make permanent progress.
Only 99 to go then?
He didn't even mess around with an intern or a congressional page...what a boring scandal, just your garden variety corruption.
The verdict is in! GUILTY on all 7 counts!
Congrats Senator elect Mark Begich. This may very well be the seat the democrats needed for their philibuster proof majority.
You sadden me.... this is a crime, and all you want is to make it political? THIS is what's wrong with the whole scene right here.
Really? I was just reading an article on an error the prosecution made in the indictment, stating Stevens had answered "No" on a disclosure form when he really answered 'Yes", and whether that would have a detrimental effect on the government's case.
Interesting.
I assume he will appeal on the grounds the indictment was in error.
If he broke the law, he should resign his seat. honestly I have not been paying attn to this one.
I'm sure the deserting coward will pardon this criminal, as he did the criminal Libby. Stevens will serve no time, might be fined.
Oh, and lose his reelection bid in a week.
CH, Jedi, Commando, Smuggler, BH, Scout, Doctor, Chef, BE...yeah, lots of SWG time invested.
Once a denizen of Ahazi
When the guilty verdict broke, I was watching a reporter talking to a judge and they were speculating on what Stevens would do. The reporter was looking down at some document and said that he couldn't find anything in the law that prevented a felon from serving in Congress. My immediate reaction was, "I wonder how many members of Congress are thankful for that?"
Faxxer, the charge was not that he took a bribe, the charge was that he failed to report work paid for by an Alaska oil company on his disclosure form. It was a substantial amount of work, however receiving the work is not the problem.
Members of Congress have to report gifts on a disclosure form. On Stevens disclosure form there was a question asking whether he took gifts, he answered "Yes". The Prosecution erred in the indictment by stating that Stevens answered "No". Stevens disclosed one gift, which was not the work done on his house.
He paid for work done on his house, paid every bill the oil company sent to him. But the oil company did not bill him for all the work. The question is whether Stevens knew that he was not billed for all the work, and, if he knew, did he intentionally leave it off of his disclosure form.
Stevens is highly respected by members of the Senate on both sides of the aisle. He is known for being a stand up guy. He is also known for bringing home the bacon to Alaska. Had he reported the work done on his home on the disclosure form, he would not have been in trouble.
This is a very interesting decision.
Wow, just wow. She threw him under the bus. Not even his Democratic collegues in the Senate were quick off the draw to do this. Even McCain and Obama haven't thrown Stevens under the bus. Wow, just wow.....
Palin: 'Sad day'
"It's a sad day for Alaska, and a sad day for Senator Stevens and his family," Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate, said in Richmond, Va., where she was campaigning.
"The verdict shines a light though on the corrupting influence of the big oil service company up there in Alaska that was allowed to control too much of our state. And that control was part of the culture of corruption that I was elected to fight."
She added: "As governor of the state of Alaska, I'll carefully monitor now the situation and I'll take any appropriate action as needed. In the meantime I do ask that the people of Alaska join me in respecting the workings of our judicial system, and I'm confident that Senator Stevens, from this point on, will do the right thing for the state of Alaska."
She ignored a question on whether she would vote for Stevens next week as she climbed the stairs to catch a plane to Roanoke.
Ah, see you're thinking like a liberal. You forget that Sarah Palin is more concerned with integrity than she is with party affiliation. Remember, she is the one who took on the Republican party in Alaska because it had become coorupt. That's a far cry from how Democrats reacted when Bill Clinton abused his power as President. They circled the wagons and defended him at all costs. And it was costly. He survived, but the Democratic party suffered for more than a decade before it finally returned to power in 2006.
Ya I was going to add, but forgot to in my previous post...
Republicans are first in line to crucify our own. We don't want that shit in our party because it's bad for the nation.
Democrats like to use our own virtue against us...shouting from the rooftops for republicans to resign over small things while looking the other way if a democrat does something questionable.
I sleep very well because of that too. And so do my conservative friends.
I could have sworn that I read a news article recently how it was a collegue of Colon Powell's that leaked that info that libby got blamed for.... oh well, we'll just have to let it be eh?
Really surprising that she blasted Stevens. I mean, she did work for his 527 group for 17 months before she became governor and all. Oh, and her lobbyist of choice while she way mayor of Wasilla was Stevens' former chief of staff. Apparently, she felt so indebted to Stevens that she even supported his 'bridge to nowhere'. At least she did, back before she became governor.
At any rate, she's moving up in the world. Stevens has exhausted his usefulness.
Sarah Palin seems to have some questionable affiliations though. Perhaps we should explore this further.
Ah, see you're thinking like a liberal. You forget that Sarah Palin is more concerned with integrity than she is with party affiliation. Remember, she is the one who took on the Republican party in Alaska because it had become coorupt. That's a far cry from how Democrats reacted when Bill Clinton abused his power as President. They circled the wagons and defended him at all costs. And it was costly. He survived, but the Democratic party suffered for more than a decade before it finally returned to power in 2006.
Ha, Ha, Ha. You're very funny.
Actually I'm thinking like a lawyer.
The indictment was wrong, it stated Stevens reported that he received no gifts, when, in fact, he reported that he had received gifts. Thus, Stevens seems to have no problem accepting and reporting gifts.
Stevens was billed by Veco Oil for work done on his house, he paid every bill.
Veco also performed work on his house that he was not billed for. The Prosecution had to show that Stevens knew he was not being billed for this work. To do so they put Bill Allen, a Veco executive, on the stand. Allen was Stevens long time friend and golf buddy. Allen had pled guilty in 2007 to corruption, and was striking a deal to reduce his prison sentence. The balance of the testimony was Veco employees testifying that Stevens saw them working on his house, a charge Stevens never denied.
Accepting the work is not illegal, only disclosing the work. All Stevens had to do was say on the form that he had received $250,000 of work on his house from Veco, and he would have been okay. What possible motive would Stevens have to not disclose, please tell me?
Had he known of the unbilled work, and disclosed the dollar amount of the work on the form, his record would have remained untarnished. Perhaps he didn't disclose the work because he really didn't realize his "friend" at Veco was doing freebies?
Of course, now his "friend" at Veco gets a reduced prison sentence for his co-operation in testifying against one of the most powerful members of the US Senate.
Sorry, I AM a liberal Democrat, and I am not going to throw Stevens under the bus as quickly as you "loyal" Republicans. I have far to much respect for Stevens, and I think he just might have a point here. Look, just because you don't like the fact that the man may have unknowingly received "gifts" which are perfectly legal under Senate rules, you don't throw him under the bus because he failed to disclose unknowingly receiving those gifts. Based on my knowledge of the case, had I sat on that jury I would have had a hard time finding him guilty.
Ted Stevens was asked if he would resign his senate seat in the wake of his conviction.
His response
He seems like he fully intended on remaining in the running. What a predicament.
He can either resign gracefully, chance losing the election, or win re-election as the first convicted felon ever and be expelled anyway.
With problems with the jury, prosecutors and evidence, there's going to be appeals and all that, but still; his balls seem bigger every day that passes and he hasn't resigned.
Not bad for a guy in his 80s, eh? Hugh Hefners got nothing on him.